In Canada, Big Oil Trumps Environment Every Time

Canada has great plans for controlling greenhouse gases, except of course where it might hurt oil sands development in Alberta. And of course in Maritime Canada where jobs are scarce. And when the Irvings, who own the Province of New Brunswick are on the phone. And when six out of ten cars in Boston run on Irving oil.

So when the Irvings propose a new seven billion dollar, 300,000 barrel per day refinery there is no real worry about it, even though the existing refinery pumps out 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year and is one of Canada's 25 biggest emitters. And we can't jave things like environmental assessments of the project slow it down, so Environment Minister John Baird just exempted it from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. After all he says the refinery "will provide great economic benefits for the province, a lot of jobs, a lot of hope, a lot of opportunity will be created with that. If we didn't have an intensity-based system (for regulating greenhouse gas emissions) that wouldn't be able to go ahead." Irvings say jump; Baird says "how high?" ::CBC